Device



(No Model.)

J. KNOUS. VELOGIPEDE SADDLE AND SUPPORTING DEVICE.

Patented June 25. 1889.

N, PETERS. PbotoLilhognpher. Washinglnn. ac

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN KNOUS, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE POPE MANUFACTURINGCOMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

.VELOClPEDE-SADDLE AND SUPPORTING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 405,780, dated June 25,1889.

Application filed October 20, 1888. $erial No. 288,652. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN KNO'US, of Hartford, in the county of Hartfordand State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Volocipede-Saddles and Sup= porting Devices therefor, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My present improvements relate more particularly to suspensionhammock-saddles, and have for their object the construction of ahammock-saddle for use especially on tricycles and safety-bicycles,where the saddle, with its springs and supporting mechanism, may beconnected with a bent seat-rod or L- rod for vertical adjustment.

In carrying out my improvements I use a fleXile seat-piece of leather,in any suitable form, and suspended only at the ends, as is usual inhammocksaddles; but underneath this I have a longitudinal bar or underplate of metal, which I prefer to make with a bend or upward incline forabout one-third of the forward part, and which is supported or connectedby bolts or a clamp or in any suitable manner to the frame or seatsupporting rod of the velocipede. Between the ends of the fiexileseat-piece and the: corresponding ends of the under plate I interposebent or coiled wire springs connected at their upper ends with theseat-piece in any suitable manner and at their lower ends with thecorresponding ends of the under plate bymeans of bolts and clips orsimilar devices for adjustment of the tension or extensibility of thesprings, and the springs are further so constructed as to have theirupper and lower parts nearly horizontal and their intermediate oryielding portions located outside of aline drawn from the end of theseat-piece to the corresponding end of the under plate, so that theyielding portions of the springs shall be substantially out from underthe seat-piece, and that the yielding action of the springs shall beprincipally vertical and independent the action of the one from that ofthe other, as well as independent in their attachments to andadjustments on the under plate.

In further carrying out my improvements I support the under plate ofthis saddle so constructed upon a tilt-block pivoted on a horizontal andtransverse axis to a clip readily attachable to the seat-rod of themachine, so as to permit a pivotal variation of the seatpiecethat is, toadmit of the raising of the rear end and the lowering of the front end,or vice versa, at the same timeto change the angular inclination of theupper surface of the seat-piece fore and aft; and I regulate, adjust,and secure this variation by means of two tilt-screws or smalljack-bolts placed in a vertical position between the tilt-block and theframe-clip, one before and the other behind the pivot, so that byturning the tiltscrews, one in and the other out, the saddle may betilted as desired, and, also, so that each screw sets and holds theother as a set device.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows in side elevation a saddleand supporting device and a portion of a seat-rod containing myimprovements in one form. Fig. 2 shows the same in vertical transversesection on the line 00 x in Fig. 1 and looking toward the rear, andFigs. 3, 4, 5, and 6 show parts of the same in detail enlarged.

A is a bent seatrrod or L -rod.

B is a flexible seat-piece of leather, supported at its rear end on ametallic bar or end piece I) to which it is riveted in the usual manner,and having at its forward end a loop b riveted in the usual manner, thisloop and end piece being for the purpose of connection with front andrear springs; but I may use a strap and. buckle instead of a rivetedloop or a hook, or a difiercnt form of transverse plate at the rear endin any way suitable for attachment of the rear springs.

C is a front spring made of steel wire bent and coiled so as to form apull at the upper portion for the seat-piece and its upper and lowerportions nearly horizontal, the lower portion forming a loop or tongueto rest upon the under plate, and the intermediate portion bent, or bentand coiled, as at C, in large or small coils, as may be desired, forwardof the end of the under plate and of the seat-piece, so that theyielding poi-tion of the front spring or springs is substantially outfrom under the seat picce.

D is a rear spring, formed also of bent or bent and coiled steel wireconnected at its upper part by means of the bolt or screw 1) and washerb to the end plate I), and with its lower part nearly horizontal andadapted for connection with the rear end of the under plate, and withits upper and lower ends nearly horizontal, and its intermediate yielding portions backward of the rear end of the seat -:pieee and the underplate. The rear spring or springs may also be coiled in large or smallcoils, if desired. The lower portions of these front and rear springsare adj ustably attached by the bolts 8 e and nuts 6' e, and thetransverse bars, clips, or washers 6 0 by means of which they arerespectively held firmly or released readily, and by releasing eitherone the spring may be drawn backward or forward, and then fixed in itsnew position either to change the position of the seat and springs onthe under plate, or toincrease'jthe tension of the seat and springs.

E is the under plate, which I prefer to make of a strip of thin barmetal or stout sheet metal, extending fore and aft under the middle ofthe seat-piece and bent upward for about one-third of its length, asshown, at the forward part, this bending up of the forward end being fortwo reasons: first, the front spring needing less vertical action thanthe rear spring, and therefore better occupying less space, and, second,the saddle is thereby made more compact forward and less in the way ofthe dress and limbs of the rider. I make this under plate at the forwardend with a nib E rising above the upper surface and itsmiddlepart, and asimilar nib E, or else two grooves d d, at the rear end of the underplate, and when said grooves are used I prefer to taper them from theend forward to the top surface of the under plate for a short distance,the sides of the grooves leaving sufficient nib. These nibs are for thepurpose of stops to prevent the lateral displacement of the springs. Thesprings are further held to the under plate by means of the small bolts'6 6, one at either end, rising in the middle of the plate and betweenthe branches of the springs, with their nuts 6 e and the transverseclips or washers e a resting upon the top side of the springs.

G is a tilt-block, of metal, having a plateseat 9 for the under plate Eto rest upon and be secured to. This may be effected by means of thescrews H H, passing through the under plate near its middle portion andthreaded into the vertical holes h h in the tilt-block, or in any othersuitable manner. The tiltblock has anear G projecting downward on oneside and having a circular perpendicular face fore and aft and atransverse perforation g for a horizontal pivot, and threaded holes, oneat either end. On the under side, extending vertically to receivetilt-screws K, is a base block or clip of metal, having an ear K, havinga vertical fore-and-aft face in circular form and a transverseperforation to receive a horizontal pivot, and a longitudinalperforationk for a seat upon the L-rod of a velocipede, and upper surfaces orabutments k k for tip-screws, and a threaded portion K to receive aset-screw K for securing it upon the ,L-rod.

G is a horizontal transverse pivot connectin g the two cars G K by meansof a threaded end and corresponding threads in one of the ears and awasher 9 or this pivot may be in the form of a bolt and maybe secured byanother.

L L are tilt-screws formed for a wrench at one part, as shown, andthreaded so as to be screwed into the holes in the under side of thetilt-block G and to abut against the abutments k 70 on the base-clip.

It is obvious now that when the under plate of the saddle is secured tothe tilt-block with the tip-screws L L therein, and this is secured byits ear to the corresponding ear of ,the base-clip by the transversehorizontal pivot G, and the whole mounted on the L- rod,as shown inFigs. 1 and 3,, the saddle may have not only a fore-and-aft adjustmentupon the L-rod and. an adjustment for tension of the springs and flexileseat, as before described, but also may have a pivotal adjustment uponthe pivot G", so that by turning the left-hand tilt-screw L to screw itinto the tilt-block, and the right-hand tilt-screw to screw it out ofthe block, the under plate, andtherefore the saddle, may be tilted downat the forward end and tilted up at the back end, as shown in Fig. 3, orvice versa; also,

that by tightening one of the tilt-screws against the abutment It afterthe other tiltscrew has been set in position, each tiltscrew operates asa set device against the other to secure them in position, and for ad-'ditional security the pivot G" may be tightened, if necessary, and thatthe upper surface of the saddle may thus be adjusted fore and aft to anysuitable inclination for difierent riders very readily. It is alsoobvious that instead of two tilt-screws I may use one tilt-screw, withthe facets for the wrench in the middle portion and right and leftthread, or a single screw with the head held in either the tilt-block orthe base-clip, so as to turn, but'not to come out longitudinally andwith a set-nut; but I prefer to use two tilt-screws, as shown anddescribed, as being more simple and compact. -It is also obvious thatother modifications in form or detail of construction may be madewithout departing from the substance of my invention, and I do'not meanto limit myself precisely to the devices shown and described; nor do Imean to claim, broadly, a saddle constructed with a fiexile seat-pieceand an under plate and independent front and rear springs, nor a saddlehaving a tilting device, whereby either end may be raised or lowered butI claim as new and of my invention 1. The combination of a flexible seatB, springs G D, under plate E, stops E E bolts e e,.and grips e aconstructed to operate es sentially as set forth.

' 2. The combination of clip-base K, a lonconnecting devices,substantially as set forth,

gitudinal mortise W, a threaded seat K a the longitudinal under plate E,and the deset-screw K ear K, a transverse perforation vices,substantially as set forth, for adjustlc, a screw-abutment 70 atilt-block G, ing and securing the springs upon the under 5 plate-seatg, ear G a transverse perforation plate longitudinally and laterally.

9, vertical tip-screws L L, a saddle under plate E, and screws H H,constructed to op- J NO. KNOUS. erate essentially as set forth.\Vitnesses:

3. The combination of the flexile seat B, G. BARNARD,

10 the front and rear springs C D' and their E. A. DE BLOIS.

